Southwestern Missouri man accused of arson spree

SPRINGFIELD (AP) — Police in Springfield, Missouri, said a man accused of purposely starting a string of fires in cars and trash containers near a low-income housing complex told investigators he set the blazes at times just to watch the flames.

Prosecutors in southwestern Missouri's Greene County charged 56-year-old Ned Zitting on Friday with six counts of knowingly burning.

The Springfield Fire Department said in a statement Saturday that the suspicious fires date to the fall of 2015.

The Springfield News-Leader reported that according to court documents, Zitting told police he has started eight car fires and has lit the same trash container ablaze eight times, often going back to his apartment to watch the flames.

Online court records don't show whether Zitting has an attorney to speak on his behalf.